Tallulah Bankhead

Tallulah Bankhead – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life, career, and famous sayings of Tallulah Bankhead, the flamboyant American actress whose bold wit and dramatic presence remain legendary. Delve into her early years, theatrical triumphs, personal struggles, and lasting impact.

Introduction

Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress whose persona was as electrifying offstage as on. She became known not just for her dynamic theatrical performances but also for her colorful personal life, razor-sharp wit, and fearless candor. Over decades, she appeared in nearly 300 stage, screen, radio, and television roles.

Though she labored under the shadow of heavy drinking, smoking, and scandal, she remains an icon of theatrical daring, a figure whose voice and presence still echo in modern cultural memory. Her life and words continue to attract fans, scholars, and anyone intrigued by the collision of talent and tempest.

In this article, we trace the arc of her life—her roots, her rise, her hardships—and highlight the famous quotes that capture her essence.

Early Life and Family

Tallulah Bankhead was born in Huntsville, Alabama, on January 31, 1902, to William Brockman Bankhead and Adelaide Eugenia “Ada” Bankhead.

After her mother’s death, Tallulah and her older sister Eugenia were raised largely by their paternal grandmother at the family estate, named Sunset, in Jasper, Alabama.

She was baptized beside her mother’s coffin, and her mother’s last words included a plea to protect her daughters: “Take care of Eugenia; Tallulah will always be able to take care of herself.”

Young Tallulah displayed a prodigious memory for poems and plays and would entertain with mimicry, recitations, and cartwheeling.

Youth and Education

Although Tallulah received some formal schooling, she had no formal acting training.

When her photo was published, her father intervened, sending in a letter that helped her claim the prize. That event marked her arrival in New York and a push toward performance.

Shortly after, she made her stage debut in The Squab Farm at the Bijou Theatre in 1918. 39 East, Footloose, Nice People, Danger, among others—but none achieved lasting success.

Career and Achievements

Beginnings & London Years (1922–1931)

When roles in New York failed to break through, Tallulah relocated to London in the early 1920s. There she found success on the stage, performing in plays like The Dancers and They Knew What They Wanted.

She earned a reputation for elevating inadequate material through sheer force of personality and presence.

Return to Broadway & Critical Breakthrough (1933–1938)

By the mid-1930s, she returned to Broadway and attempted roles in plays such as Forsaking All Others, Jezebel, Dark Victory, The Circle, and Antony and Cleopatra. The Circle was praised, though her casting as Cleopatra received harsh criticism (“barged down the Nile … and sank,” read one review). Gone with the Wind’s Scarlett O’Hara, but despite a strong black-and-white screen test, she was ultimately passed over due to her appearance in Technicolor and age considerations.

In 1933, during the run of Jezebel, she underwent an emergency hysterectomy and nearly died, weighing only 70 pounds when she left the hospital. She later quipped: “Don’t think this has taught me a lesson!”

Her breakthrough came in 1939, when she starred as Regina Giddens in Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes. That performance won her a Variety award and critical acclaim as one of the most electrifying theatrical portrayals of the era.

She next starred in Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth as Sabina, again winning awards and acclaim for her daring, multifaceted portrayal.

Film Success and Lifeboat (1944)

Her most celebrated film appearance came in Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat (1944). She starred as cynical journalist Constance Porter in a story set entirely aboard a lifeboat.

A legendary anecdote holds that she wore no underwear during filming. When producers expressed concern, Hitchcock reportedly quipped he didn’t know whether it was a wardrobe, makeup, or hair problem.

Radio, Broadway, and Later Years

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Bankhead took on Private Lives, toured with it, and established herself as a top-billing star whose name drew audiences. The Big Show on NBC radio (1950–52), where she performed monologues, songs, and comedic sketches (many penned by Dorothy Parker).

Her autobiography, Tallulah: My Autobiography, was published in 1952 and became a bestseller.

She took roles in television and occasional films even into her 60s. Her final screen credit was in Fanatic (1965), a British horror film. Batman (1967) as the Black Widow and on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The Tonight Show Beatles interview in 1968.

Her last theatrical performance was in The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore (1963), though her health and memory challenges marred the production.

Historical Milestones & Context

Bankhead’s career spanned a period of enormous change in entertainment—from stage to radio to film to television. She bridged those worlds, making her mark in each medium.

She stood out in an era when women’s public personas were tightly policed. Her openness about her personal life, addiction, and sexual freedom made her controversial, but she also broke boundaries.

After her death, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame (1972) and the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame (1981).

Her influence even extended into popular mythology: it is said that Disney’s Cruella de Vil character was partly inspired by her flamboyant style.

Legacy and Influence

Tallulah Bankhead is often remembered less for a single role and more as a theatrical legend—a “personality actress” whose voice, flair, and magnetism transcended any particular production.

She became a camp and queer icon, celebrated for her unapologetic sexuality, audacity, and wit.

Critics and admirers continue to debate her legacy: for some, she wasted her talent on excess; for others, she embodied freedom in a constraining era. Her name appears in biographical studies, theatrical histories, and cultural analyses.

When she died in 1968 in New York City from pneumonia (complicated by emphysema) at age 66, her last words were reportedly “codeine… bourbon.”

Her ability to command attention and transform weaker material into memorable moments ensured that her legend—and her voice—live on.

Personality and Talents

Bankhead was known for her gravelly, husky voice—touted as “mezzo-basso”—a result of chronic bronchitis and years of smoking.

Her temperament was legendary. She was outspoken, witty, self-assured, and often combative. She refused to play by Hollywood’s rules of silence and propriety.

She embraced scandal and revelry, telling reporters intimate details of her love life, engaging in acts of exhibitionism, and living with a flamboyant disregard for decorum.

She was also politically engaged, using her fame to support liberal causes and civil rights—and sometimes to clash with ideological allies, as in her feud with Lillian Hellman over donations to Finnish relief.

Famous Quotes of Tallulah Bankhead

Below are a selection of memorable lines that reveal her wit, candor, and theatrical spirit:

• “If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.”

• “Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.”

• “I’ll come and make love to you at five o’clock. If I'm late, start without me.”

• “Acting is a form of confession.”

• “If I'm late start without me.”

• “I think the Republican party should be placed in the same category with organ grinders and grave-robbers.”

• “Don’t think this has taught me a lesson!” (referring to surviving surgery)

• “Me, I just wanna live a life I’m gonna remember even if I don’t write it down.”

These lines reflect her fearless voice—often humorous, sometimes biting, always unapologetic.

Lessons from Tallulah Bankhead

1. Authenticity is powerful. Bankhead’s success lay not just in her talent but in her willingness to be entirely herself—flawed, dramatic, bold.

2. Personality can elevate performance. She showed that even weak material can be transformed when carried by a force of presence.

3. Boundaries come at a cost. Her boundaryless life exacted a heavy toll: health decline, professional missteps, personal anguish.

4. Legacy often outlives success. Even when her star dimmed, her persona continued to fascinate, reminding us that a life of audacity can outlast conventional success.

Conclusion

Tallulah Bankhead was not just an actress—she was a phenomenon. Her voice, spirit, and audacious life continue to captivate. She resisted being tamed, and in doing so, carved a space for theatrical legend. Her mistakes, scandals, and self-destructiveness complicate her story—but they also amplify it.

Today, her legacy lives on in theater history, queer culture, and the canon of unforgettable performers. To understand Tallulah is to understand the thin line between brilliance and ruin—and to remember the enduring power of a voice that would not be silenced.

If you’d like, I can also pull together a longer compilation of her quotes or a comparative study of her roles. Would you like me to do that next?